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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arial Black" data-source="post: 7413456" data-attributes="member: 6799649">When I run the game I roll the monster's attack rolls/saving throws/skill checks in view of the players (assuming the PCs can observe the creature doing the thing). I then ask for the PC's AC/save DC/opposed check result or passive score.It works. If I roll, say, a 9 on an attack roll, I ask for the AC. The player tells me, say, 16. I then say 'hit' or 'miss'.Sure, if I say 'miss' then the players can work out that the creature's attack modifier must be +6 or less. Since this covers the vast majority of creatures it really doesn't give much away. But if I say 'hit' then the creature must have at least +7. This is a lot! This is information that the players can use. They can use it to gauge how good at fighting the monster is, and use this knowledge to inform future decisions, like whether to cast shield or to use Cutting Words.But is this a bad thing? Is this the dreaded meta-gaming?First, it is not a bad thing at all. Why? Because it closely parallels the process that real people go through in combat: gauging the opponent's skill by observing them in combat. Because the die rolls are not the only source of information the players AND the characters have; they can see that they are fighting a dragon, dragons are hard! It's not rocket science! Can the PCs be fooled? Sure, it's working as intended! The fact that a colossal dragon turns out to have less than +7 to attack is a legitimate clue that there is something wrong here! This parallels the PC's thinking that there is something wrong here: the dragon is not moving right, it seems clumsy and uncoordinated.Is it meta-gaming? No more than knowing your own current hit points.So, this approach works in terms of the game running smoothly. But "hits AC 16, does it hit you?" works too. So why do what I do?Because it also allows those other rules to work as intended. The PCs, as written, can see the die roll and decide whether or not to use Cutting Words et al before the DM announces the result. If the PC is thinking about casting shield then they have the  same information but can also wait until the DM announces a hit before casting shield.So the advantage of doing it this way is that not only does it work in terms of running the game but it also works to enable the players to use those abilities as written. It also parallels the information and decision-making process gone through by actual creatures.On a side note: just because DMs are allowed to ignore or change the rules doesn't mean that there are no rules! Just because some rules are open to interpretation, this doesn't mean that every rule can be legitimately interpreted more than one way!My AC is 16....but that could be interpreted as AC 23, couldn't it? NO! It damn well couldn't!</blockquote>

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